A New Model for Elder Care:
Virtual Senior Living Community

Tuesday, March 24
Join Jewish Family Service, Center for Successful Aging, AARP and
Judy Willet, Executive Director of Beacon Hill Village

Would you like to maintain your lifestyle at home and stay in your community while your needs are taken care of and services come to your door?

• Find out how this successful model for living at home as we age was developed in Boston, Massachusetts.
• Learn state of the art concepts in helping families meet contemporary challenges of aging.
• Learn how this program might be replicated in our community while feeding the local economy.

These seminars are FREE except if earning CEUs.

3-4:30 p.m. - For professionals ($20 fee for CEUs, free if not)
Co-sponsored with National Assn. of Social Workers, Santa Barbara Chapter
5-6:30 p.m. - Community forum (no cost)

RSVP HERE for either or both programs.

Most of us would prefer to maintain our lifestyle and independence at home as we age. You can  learn how this might be possible in Santa Barbara at a community forum at 5 pm on Tuesday, March 24, sponsored by Jewish Family Service, Center for Successful Aging and AARP.

A new model for a "virtual senior living community" organizes and delivers programs and services that allow its members to lead safe, healthy and productive lives in their own homes. Whether it's home repair, medical management, massage, hairstyling or computer help, community members can choose from a menu of services that provide whatever is needed for quality of life at home. Additional benefits might include a transportation program for things such as appointments or shopping, and a community center with options for participating in group activities and connecting with others.

The program enables adult children peace of mind, knowing that their parents are being attended to and cared for. Membership costs can be kept low, especially compared with residential assisted living, which many seniors cannot afford.

One full-service program exists in Boston, at Beacon Hill Village, which was started in 2001 by local residents who wanted to stay in their homes. Judy Willet, Beacon Hill Village executive director, will be in Santa Barbara on Tuesday, March 24, to share her knowledge and experience with starting a virtual community here.

Beacon Hill Village members range in needs from minimal to all-consuming. Some need help carrying packages when they shop, another needs help watering her plants because the watering can is too heavy. One resident called when she couldn't get her cat in the carrier to take it to the vet. Others have daily aides for full- or part-time help.

Santa Barbara is uniquely poised to develop this sort of program. With the growth of the aging baby boomer population, and the overextension of our facilities and medical care system, this model is a viable alternative to institutional care. For those not yet needing help, this is an opportunity to plan for the future.

Please join Jewish Family Service, Center for Successful Aging and AARP to find out how this model can work here in Santa Barbara.

For more information, contact Dr. Elizabeth Wolfson, JFS Director: ewolfson@sbjf.org or 805.957.1115 x119 or www.jewishsantabarbara.org. Dr. Wolfson is the Director of the Jewish Family Service